Vicki Herbert 's Reviews > The House on the Borderland

There's something queer about this place...

THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND by William Hope Hodgson

No spoilers. 4 stars. This tale is very strange... Like taking LSD and going on a very bizarre trip (at times). A frightening trip...

Tonnison and Berreggnog found a nice-looking fishing spot in Western Ireland and had a driver drop them off with their camping gear for a little vacation...

An untamed river running past the outskirts of a little village allowed the men to swim and fish in the morning...

That evening...

They ate their catch and smoked around the campfire before retiring to their tent to sleep...

The next day...

After breakfast, they decided to hike along the river and see where it would lead them...

The river ended at a massive pit with waterfalls spilling from it. Perched atop the pit were the ruins of an ancient house...

Searching through the ruins, they came upon an old, crumbling diary, which they picked up to take back with them to their camp...

Tonnison told his partner: There's something queer about this place...

Suddenly...

They heard strange wailing, and they had a sense they were not alone. It was coming from the woods, and it rustled the leaves in the trees...

They hurriedly returned to camp, and after dinner by lantern, they read the diary they had found...

This was truly a good book to read into the night, but a pep talk is needed before starting, encouraging readers to stick with it to the end.

There are two interludes that ramble on. Both could have been shortened considerably (especially the second one) to prevent boredom. You can skim through both, and still, the story won't be ruined. At 85%, the story of the diary picks up again and is a page-turner.

If you like this novella, try DAGON by Fred Chappell.